


Caught

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-09 08:46:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4341890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barbara and Damian never believed Dick was truly dead. Now they were going to prove it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caught

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted ages ago, way before the Grayson comic ever started. Bit of an implication of DickBabs, since it was part of the prompt, but I hate that pairing so not really, haha.
> 
> Continuation (sort of) of [this](http://fishfingersandjellybabies.tumblr.com/post/91599698947/you-can-trust-me-for-damian-and-barbara-please).

He didn’t knock. He never did.

“I think I figured it out.”

Barbara sighed, turning her chair even further away from the child vigilante sitting in her window. She couldn’t stop the slightly spiteful tone of her voice. “You said that last time.”

She listened as his boots hit the wooden floor. He took a few steps forward, but kept a solid distance between them.

“This time is different.” He sounded confident, but didn’t he always? “This is a different lead.”

Barbara felt her head begin to shake. “Robin, I’m not going to use the computers to-”

“Grayson is alive.”

Her heart skipped a beat as her voice died out. Slowly, she turned her chair around. Damian stood there, shoulders squared, chin raised. The posture of a hopeful child. She whispered, “What?”

And surely her eyesight was going. There was no way _Damian Wayne_ was currently grinning at her. “Grayson is _alive_.”

She paused, staring at him. She didn’t…he couldn’t…she’d looked _everywhere_. For _months_. She had just given up hope, and now Damian shows up with this? But he was a child, she couldn’t just turn him away. Bruce already stopped humoring him. She had no doubt in her mind that if she refused him, he would go off on his own, probably get himself killed in the process. And then where would they be? Barbara inhaled, leaning back. “Alright, Boy Wonder. What’ve you got?”

Damian took the invitation and moved forward. “An errant radio communication, whispers of spies on a train in Russia, and a mysterious computer server.”

Barbara let herself smile as she interlaced her fingers, cracking the knuckles. “I can work with that.”

~~

The man had red hair, but Damian had learned the telltale signs of a wig when he was three.

“What can I do?” Damian asked, holding his cape up against the flames. “What do you need me to do?”

“Nothing.” The man had an accent. German, or was it Russian maybe? Damian’s vision suddenly began to swim. He couldn’t…who was in front of him again? “You are a child. Go away.”

“No. No, I’m not…” Damian staggered forward. The man took a visible step back. “I know… _I know you_. You can’t…”

“Found it, Robin. He’s using cybernetic implants. Hang on.” Barbara’s voice chimed in his ear. There was a quick buzz in the air, then nothing. Damian blinked away the haziness. Everything came back into focus. The man had turned away from him, fiddling with the door that had locked when the fire started.

“You don’t know me.” He continued. The accent was Icelandic, and a terrible impersonation. “No one knows me.”

“But _I_ _do_.” Damian countered. “Now, Grayson…” The man stiffened. “What do you need me to do?”

The ginger wig bounced slightly as Dick turned towards him again. His blue eyes were panicked, but face impassive. After a moment, he had no accent as he ordered. “They didn’t clear the building before setting the fire. There’s some controllers on Level Three-B. Get them out.”

Damian nodded, shooting a grapple up to the other landing. “It’s him, Oracle.”

“He can change his hair as much as he wants,” She responded, almost amused. “I’d know those eyes anywhere.”

“He’s going to bolt.” Damian whispered, locating the office of the trapped workers. “That’s why he sent me on search-and-rescue. He’s going to find the enemy, take him out and disappear.”

Barbara’s voice was steel. “I won’t let him.”

Like always, Barbara stayed true to her word. As soon as Damian got the workers out and handed over to the local paramedics, coordinates popped up on his mask screen. Coordinates to two blocks over, the parking garage where Barbara had been stationed in the van. She had been on the sixth level, but the coordinates were for the first. Damian saw her wheeling towards the elevator as he hopped the stone wall.

There was one car on this floor. Nothing fancy or noticeable. A dingy blue color. Of course it was. The only interesting thing about it was the man in the driver’s seat, looking confused as his vehicle wouldn’t start. Damian stopped a few feet away, watching as Dick – sans hideous wig now – turned the key repeatedly, shifting as he slammed his foot against the gas pedal, even talking, most likely to a communicator Barbara had already shut off.

Dick’s face contorted into frustration and he looked out the window. Instantly the frustration became surprise when his eyes landed on Damian. He stared a moment before turning, trying to open the door. That was locked too, it seemed. Barbara had covered all the bases. Good for her.

Dick looked at Damian almost pleadingly. Damian shrugged and shook his head, glancing to his side as he heard the ding of the elevator. When his eyes returned to his mentor, he saw his face start to pale, eyes widening even more as Barbara wheeled over to Damian’s side.

“Think he’ll still run?” Barbara asked quietly.

“I can catch him.” Damian responded. “Let him out.”

Barbara pressed a few buttons on the device in her hand, and the click of the locks echoed through the garage. Slowly, Dick opened the door and stepped out. He shifted forward, but still far enough away that he couldn’t touch them. “How’d you guys find me?”

Damian scoffed. “Like it was _hard_.”

Dick smiled warmly, eyes seemingly misty. “You’ve been trying for months, kid. I know I stopped at least seven network hacks from you. But you got close! I was in the security line in Sweden when I saw you get off the plane. For a few seconds, I though you saw me, and I almost frea-”

“Stop.” Barbara snapped. Damian glanced down; her hands were tightly clutching at her armrests. Dick obeyed, bowing his head slightly.

“Babs-”

“Do you think this is funny? That this was some kind of game?” She hissed. Tears began to drip from her eyes and Damian reached out, gently hooking his index finger around hers. Barbara turned her hand, gripping his fingers tightly. “Everyone thinks you’re _dead_ , do you know that?”

Dick nodded. “Yes, I do.”

That seemed to fuel Barbara’s anger more. “And you were okay with that?” she shouted, squeezing Damian’s hand. “You’re okay with us _grieving_ you – like we grieved Jason all those years ago, you were okay with us doing that again?”

Dick shook his head.

“You were okay with Damian not sleeping? Having nightmares about you?” She continued. Dick looked up, eyes pained as he watched his brother. Damian stared at the car behind him. “And when he found out that you weren’t, in fact, _dead_ …all he does is look for you. To the point he doesn’t even go back to the manor after patrol anymore. He comes to my place, searches every database, watches every piece of security footage. All in hopes of finding _you_.”

“Damian…” Dick started, taking a step forward. Barbara wasn’t having it.

“And then, and _then_. When we find you,” she breathes, watching as Dick continued forward. “You don’t even want to stop and say _hello_ , already planning to run away. But I’m sure you wouldn’t do that until you knew, at least, Damian was safe. Because you didn’t know I was here. Ohhh, but I swear Dick, if you had just left him in that building, or continued to ignore that he found you, I would’ve-”

“Shhh,” Dick was in front of them now, crouching and gently touching Barbara’s knee with one hand. Barbara listened this time, quieting as she took deep breaths, trying to slow her tears. Dick smiled sadly up at her, reaching up to stroke her face. “I’m sorry, Babs.”

“I-I hate you.” She stuttered.

“I know.” Dick chuckled, leaning up to leave a lingering kiss on her cheek, then wrapped his arms around her neck, petting at her hair. “I know, Babs.”

Barbara clutched at his back with her free hand, squeezing Damian’s even tighter with the other. Damian remained silent, watching the scene in relief. He…it wasn’t just stupid hope this time. Grayson was alive. Alive and _right here_.

Suddenly he realized Dick was staring at him over Barbara’s head. He blinked and looked away. Dick hummed a laugh, and then next thing he knew he was being pulled over the wheelchair’s armrest, Dick’s arm firm around his neck and hand warm against the back of his head.

“I’m sorry to you too, Damian.” Dick whispered. Barbara’s hand finally released his, and her arm snaked around his waist. “If I had known…”

“Stop.” Damian blurted out. He grabbed at Dick with both arms, burying his face against his neck. “I don’t care. I don’t want apologies or explanations or _whatever_. Just…just _come home_.”

Barbara nodded vigorously against his chest. “…Okay.” He said with a smile, pressing both Barbara and Damian tighter to his body. “I think I can do that.”


End file.
